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Post Info TOPIC: Just acquired my first Peerless


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Just acquired my first Peerless


I thought I would introduce myself to this group........

 

Don, a very good friend of mine that I have known since we were both 10 years old, has recently passed at the age of 70 and left his '59 Peerless, commission number GT 200088 in my care. He has been in the process of restoring it for years. Although he had rebuilt the motor, it is currently not operable, but it does appear to be all there. The last time I saw it running was 1987, before he started on the rebuild/restore process.

 

Is there any way to get more information on this car? When was it actually built? What colors did it come with inside and out? Did it come with an overdrive? When I picked up the car and all the numerous parts, there were two transmissions, one overdrive and one plain 4 speed. There was also a spare set of knock-off steel disc wheels with it, similar in appearance to what the C and D Jags used. What is on the car now is a set of bolt-on alloy wheels. What should it have come with?   

 

I have never seen one of these in person, except for Don's and am going to have a lot of questions down the road. Doesn't seem to be very much in the way of reference material on these cars.

 

John B.



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Hello there John,

I think many of your questions will be answered by the Phase 1 sales brochure. I scanned my copy some time ago and have created an 11MB PDF file which you can download from "WeTransfer.com" using this link http://tinyurl.com/bneu2l8 (note that this file will be deleted from the WeTransfer server on 29.11.2012).

Your Peerless is a Phase 1 car. Mine (chassis 94) was first registered on 1st January 1959 so I think it's reasonable to assume that yours was manufactured in 1958.

I think that the sales brochure mentions that they were available in 5 colours but doesn't specify them - I'm pretty sure the colours were red, white, blue, green and grey but someone else may have further information on this. The interior consisted of black carpets with grey trim (leather for the gaiters over the gear lever and handbrake lever) and grey seats. The seats were leather on the faces with grey vynide on the backs.

How close is your car to returning to service? Is it left of right hand drive? Have you any pictures available?!

Hope the above is of interest!
Tom

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Tom,

Thank you for all the info. I'll download your file as soon as I finish here.

My car is LHD, grey outside with I guess the original trim and carpeting, however rats have done a real number on the carpeting over the years. Since Don had the engine and trans out, they had easy access to the carpets to make there nests. I must have vacuumed a couple of pounds of rat droppings, plum pit shells, dried out snail shells and misc. fiber bits. Not sure what the snail shells were doing in there. Quite nasty.... was careful not to breathe the dust.

The engine I assume is all set to go, although I will want to insure all the bearing surfaces are still lubed. Non overdrive tranny looks OK but am not sure about the overdrive unit. Brakes were frozed when I got the car, since it had sat unused for 25 years in a damp garage. I plan on having to do a complete brake refurbish and flushing out all the fluid pipes with lots of alcohol and compressed air. Ditto with the clutch.

Thanks for scanning that file.....look forward to getting it........will try to post some pics if I can figure how......

John B.

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John - posting pics is simple. Just hit reply to the thread (not quick reply) and then click on "attach file", selecting the picture you want to upload
dave

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Dave GT2 



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Hello again John,

your car sounds rather like mine then...needing a fair bit of work! I bought mine partially restored in 1992 and was informed that when it was stripped out by the previous owner, there was a rodent's nest behind the dashboard!

My father's car (he sold it in 1967) was grey but is now blue. The chap who bought it from my father told me that grey was one of the least common colours (though I have no other proof of that).

As far as deciding which gearbox came out of your car, I would imagine there should be disconnected wires dangling somewhere to connect to the various "switches" on the selector housing if it had the overdrive gearbox originally. Also of course there should be an overdrive switch on the dashboard. It was originally fitted to the left of the steering wheel (on a LHD car) - outside the removable instrument binnacle. If original (they seem to be prone to breaking and being replaced with a variety of other switches) it should be a switch with a clear "toggle" as it is an illuminated switch (made by Trico and used on Jaguars amongst other things).  Here (I hope!) is a picture of the switch:

 

reverse switch trico ae2b_12.jpg

 

Below you can see the switch fitted to a LHD car (I believe its actually Dave's car!).

 

33.jpg

 

Hope that's of interest and use!

Tom



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A-ha! Yes indeed it's my car. I should point out that i changed the switch on mine however, preferring the TR3 "egg". I have the one in the above picture, just in case however
dave

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Dave GT2 



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Hi John,

welcome to the fold, do you really know what your in for?

let me know if you need help.

 

gt2@ peerless disbeliefgt  noco  dohuk

 

nigel 

Registrar



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Tom,

You are quite right, had not noticed that switch on the left side of my dash before. I guess Don had picked up a standard 4-speed just as a spare. I hope the original overdrive unit is sound.

And thanks again for the brochure, very interesting reading. I was hoping it would have a wiring diagram included. My empty engine bay is a mass of wires and they do not all look original. Are diagrams available anywhere?

 

Nigel,

You're dead on, I have no clue what I'm in for. For instance, should my car have 3 seperate round tail lights per side? All the pics I've seen so far show just one tall unit per side. And.......I quess someone has trimmed off the fins from the rear fenders?



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Hello again John,

glad you enjoyed the brochure! If your wiring loom is original (and the rodents haven't been too busy!), the original parts of the harness will be "braided" which might help identify that which is original from that which has been added. Replacement harnesses are available from Autosparks here: http://tinyurl.com/bu62dkr

There is a separate (currently active) thread about wiring diagrams - Joe has offered to post his pdf copy but can't as only images are allowed as attachments. Whether Dave can allow the posting of attachments other than images I'm not sure. I'm sure some workaround can be arranged!

Yes - the fin shaving brigade have been busy on your car sadly. Not sure why people feel it necessary. If you look at the side profile of the car, the front wingline is straight - so to balance it the rear wingline needs to match whereas removing the fins makes it "droop". Not sure what's possible there - though I think that Ian and Celia managed to reinstate the fins on their car so it is possible though a lot of work I'm sure. And as you rightly surmise, the tail lights have been replaced - the correct ones are being remanufactured by Holden Vintage and Classic - though at a pretty alarming price(!): http://tinyurl.com/cgdhjxx

Good to see the pictures of your car (looks a lot closer to the road than mine!) and pretty tidy too. You might be missing the headlight bezels but at least you have the "Flying P" emblem which so often seems to go missing.

Hope that's of interest!

Tom

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I'm not adverst to the look but fins are sooo much cooler! and looks like someone had a go at your front appron as the number plate box should be wider...but hey it suits your size of plate.

see pics (hopefully!)

and C&I can pop you set of fins out of the mould and you can just graft them on...simples biggrin



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Nice catch Nigel,

Hadn't noticed the shortened plate box before.  I'll have to dig out the front bumperettes and see if they fit my front end. Any chance the smaller box was for US export?



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Steve

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Speaking of bumperettes in the front, did they come with those??  Not in factory picture.  What do they look like and how are they mounted. 



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Hello there Steve,

have you downloaded your copy of the Phase 1 sales brochure from the link in the second post on this page? It should still be available. It clearly shows the "bumperettes". Not sure what factory picture you've seen without them unless it is the Le Mans car. The "bumperettes" are (heavy!) fibreglass mouldings painted silver. Yours have been modified I think where they meet the number plate box - and they look "shinier" than silver paint as if they've been chromed. Perhaps some previous owner has had them remanufactured in steel(?) and chrome plated? The originals are attached by three bolts (captive on steel plates embedded in the fibreglass) that go through appropriate holes in the bodywork.

I think the picture below of the pair from my car should explain it better!

DSCF0387 .jpg

Hope that helps!

Tom



-- Edited by TomW on Friday 23rd of November 2012 01:30:13 PM

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Steve

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Sorry.  I wasn't clear.  I have seen cars with some vertical chrome bumper pieces on the front sticking out further and coming out just inside the bumberettes.   I am getting the idea these were just someone adding something.  



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Can't remember seeing anything like that Steve. Not something I'm familiar with. Can you post a picture or two or a link to a page where they are displayed?

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steve

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Now of course I can't find the picture I saw of one with vertical chrome pieces in front of the bumperettes.  I was thinking such things existed because the car I just bought has the chrome bars shown extending from the front of the car as if they were fabricated to replace real chrome pieces that came on the car.  Obivously this is just all something someone added after purchase to protect the fiberglass in the front. 



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Hi
There were no vertical parts to the front of Peerless or Warwick cars. see attached image of a peerless



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Is this what you meant Steve? I have never seen any proof that they ever existed though.

 

$(KGrHqIOKigE3y6TSVRwBOKHFhmID!~~0_3.jpg

 

 



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Frank

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Is this the sort of proof that you seek?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wgt-15/8221160739/in/photostream/

I also remember Jon Nolan bringing an overrider to the TR International in Malvern one year
so I've actually seen one in person.

Frank



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